Etihad Airways Damaged Hand Baggage After Forced Gate-Check on Flight YTEWJQ

I travelled with Etihad Airways on 22 August 2026 from Abu Dhabi to Dammam under reservation YTEWJQ. At Abu Dhabi Airport, the ground staff insisted that I hand over my hand baggage, tagged as 0607 EY 949575, to be loaded together with the checked-in baggage, even though most other passengers were allowed to keep their hand baggage with them on board. Since this was done at the direction of Etihad’s ground staff, I expected the baggage to be handled with appropriate care. Upon arrival at Dammam Airport, I discovered that my hand baggage had been damaged. There were scratches on the surface and a small portion of the outer surface had peeled off. From the condition of the bag, it appears that it was handled together with larger checked-in luggage instead of being treated with the care normally expected for hand baggage. I also attempted to report the issue immediately upon arrival in Dammam, but there were no ground staff available in the arrival hall, and the relevant office appeared to be locked with no staff present. For this reason, I was unable to file a damage report at the airport. I kindly request that Etihad investigate this incident and inform me of the procedure to submit a formal baggage damage claim. As the hand baggage was taken from me at the insistence of the ground staff and remained in the airline’s custody, I believe Etihad should take responsibility for the damage and provide appropriate compensation. I am ready to share photographs of the damaged baggage, the baggage tag, my reservation details and any other supporting documents required to process this claim. I request a prompt response and a fair resolution of this matter. Yours faithfully, Retna Kum**   E-mail: brkumar***@gmail.com